My path of Qi Gong or I’m off to Vermont for a week
Saturday, October 1st, 2011
I’m off to my yearly Qi Gong retreat at Karme Choling in the hills of Vermont. I’m looking forward to long days of Qi Gong and good home cooked food.
Qi Gong has been an amazing thing for me. I discovered Eva Wong, my qi gong teacher, when she came to Seattle to teach a weekend workshop about five years ago. At the time I had some major health problems that were making it so I could only work about 20 hours a week. I was exhausted, couldn’t sleep, my digestion was a mess and nothing seemed to be helping. I left that weekend feeling better than I had in a couple years. The more I did Qi Gong the better my health became.
I’ve made sure to do a program with her every year since and my health has greatly benefited. As I have moved through some of the more advanced levels of qi gong and talked to other people who have been practicing this art, I’m heard some amazing stories. There was one woman who was so crippled with rheumatoid arthritis that she could barely walk. After about a year of qi gong she was not only better but the blood tests for this disease were coming back almost normal. She could walk, move her hands again and function like a normal person without pain. Other people with chronic injuries or illness also had seen great improvements in health.
Qi Gong works similarly to acupuncture with the energy or qi that flows through our body. It helps to align and remove blockages in this system of energy. In addition it helps to align the body with the mind. Also see What is Daoist Qigong?
Eva teaches all over the world. She now has a few other teachers that also teach the style of qi gong she practices. Here is her website if you are interested, Daoist Qi Gong There is a list of places and times qi gong is taught on the website but it is usually incomplete. Eva teaches almost exclusively at Shambhala Centers, to find one near you use this tool Find a shambhala center. You do not have to be a member of shambhala to take her classes. I have found that about half her students are not.
This year John Rockwell, one of her teachers, will be in Seattle to teach the first two levels of qi gong on November 19-20th. If you are interested in attending contact the Seattle Shambhala Center
I’ll be back October 11th and will be out of computer and phone range while I am away. See you then!
